If nothing else, the Sherlock Holmes films are becoming a haven for fun casting inspirations. Case in point: Stephen Fry has been cast to play Mycroft Holmes, the older and equally brilliant brother of Sherlock, in Sherlock Holmes 2.

Fry revealed to the BBC:

I’m playing Mycroft in the sequel to the Sherlock Holmes film Guy Ritchie directed with Robert Downey Jr., and that sort of part is fun, but just once in a while to play a genuine all round sort of lead figure with complexity and tragedy and wit and all the sort of things that Oscar [Wilde] had was a once in a lifetime thrill.

On the chance that you’re not familiar with the wit of Mr. Fry, most of that, with the exception of the announcement of his role, was a joke. For those that saw Sherlock Holmes but don’t know Fry, that was probably obvious anyway. Still: Fry sparring with Robert Downey Jr. as his younger brother Sherlock should be a delight, for however few scenes they share. I’ll be looking forward to seeing outtakes from those shoot days.

Mycroft Holmes appeared in only a handful of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, and is mentioned as an occasional but indispensable member of the British government; he’s essentially a sort of walking computer brought in to consult on and solve problems. He’s said to be more deductively brilliant than his brother, but also more lazy. Sherlock Holmes describes him in the following manner:

…he has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to verify his own solutions, and would rather be considered wrong than take the trouble to prove himself right. Again and again I have taken a problem to him, and have received an explanation which has afterwards proved to be the correct one. And yet he was absolutely incapable of working out the practical points…

Sherlock Holmes 2 will shoot later this fall for a December 16, 2011 release. Now let’s find out who is playing Sherlock’s nemesis Moriarty, please. [via Bleeding Cool]